The Commedia

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It's January.  Your energy to entertain is probably ebbing, as well as your capacity for strong or rich drinks.  Here's a simple drink which recognizes that wintertime is the time to consume as much esoteric citrus as possible.  The combination of herbs, spices and citrus rind that compose Averna, a digestivo liqueur from Sicily, serves as an excellent foil to the vodka and juice, laying a bittersweet brake on an otherwise simple sipper.

 

The Commedia

In a cocktail shaker:

1 ounce vodka

1 ounce Averna (or other amaro bitters)

1 ounce blood orange juice

Add ice and shake 20x.  Strain and serve up.  Garnish with an orange half skewered with a rosemary garnish.

Enjoy.  Comments may be left below only after the first sip has been taken.

 

 

Eben Klemm is a freelance beverage consultant based in New York City.  Yes, people pay him to invent cocktails.  No, he is not invited to speak at many high school career days.  He grew up on a small family farm in Sharon, five miles from the Beekman Mansion and is proud to say that the first cocktails he ever consumed were rejected from his body, at very high speed, not far from its shadow. His book "The Cocktail Primer: All You Need to Know to Make the Perfect Drink" was published in 2009 by Andrews McNeel.  He'll be creating signature Beekman 1802 elixirs once a month.